It was so strange to enter Annabeth's room after so much time had passed. Percy's still not entirely sure why he'd carried her bridal-style into the house and tucked her into bed instead of waking her up like anyone else would.

Maybe a small part of him wanted to go inside, see the rooms where they used to spend so much time together. Over the years he'd seen glimpses of the bedroom through his own window, the lilac paint on the walls replacing cotton candy pink, bedspread swapped, more photos on the wall, but stepping inside was different. The new things stood out, jarringly unfamiliar; those rearranged decorations, that pillow on the chair, the scent—less like lavender fabric softener, more citrusy and lemon-fresh.

It occurred to him that he'd missed out on such a big chunk of her life. All of high school. Four years. How sad was that?

Percy could've stayed there for hours last night, cataloging each change, digging up long-buried memories, but he left hastily. Today he suspects things between them might be weird. He doesn't hate Annabeth (she still annoys the shit out of him at times, but that'll probably never change) and he's fairly certain she doesn't hate him either, which makes their dynamic...complicated. Are they friends? More? Less?

He tracks Annabeth down at lunch. Aggravating little butterflies flap around in his stomach. It's funny that he's so jittery, excited, because with Calypso, there were never butterflies. She was comfortable, as easy to talk to as knowing every word of your favorite song. Annabeth is butterflies and heart-pounding and has a smile that stirs up way too many feelings. Annoying. Like singing your favorite song, but backwards and with each lyric jumbled.

She's sitting outside as usual, effortlessly pretty in a red dress and white cardigan. No shadows under her eyes, hair straightened and styled, only the slight slump of the shoulders betraying her lack of sleep.

Percy sneaks up behind her, gently covering her eyes with his palms. "Guess who?"

Annabeth jumps a little, then relaxes. He imagines that she'd be rolling her eyes if he could see them. "Your mom," she deadpans.

Percy laughs, sitting down on the bench beside her. "Wrong answer." He moves his hands to cup Annabeth's cheeks. Her lips are shiny and pink, and he tries not to think about making out with her so that gloss coats his lips too. "Hi, lovely."

"Hi yourself." She blinks, dark lashes fluttering. Seriously, she has no right to be so pretty. It's beyond frustrating how good she looks in red.

And in every other color.

"You look stunning today," he says.

"Thanks," she says.

He leans in to kiss her jaw, just because he can, and then he's trailing down her neck. Annabeth groans softly, leaning into his touch. Everything sort of slips away; the courtyard, Annabeth's friends, the space between them. He dips lower, to her pulse point, and her heartbeat flutters fast beneath his lips.

Piper's gagging and Rachel grumbles, "Not while we're eating!" but Percy hardly hears. He catches a bit of Annabeth's skin in his teeth and she make a tiny noise, sighs,

"Jackson."

It's the way she calls him by his last name, pleasant instead of disdainful, that makes him shiver. She really is a talented actress. When she whimpers at his touch, she's so convincing that he could truly believe that she loves him.

"Oh my god, get a room!" Piper's exasperated voice cuts through. Annabeth freezes and Percy jerks back, breathing heavily.

Holy fuck. How much of that had been fake? And how much of that had been real, subconscious (and possibly conscious) desire?

He clears his throat, standing up again and tapping Annabeth's wrist. "Care to go for a walk with me?" he asks in his best British accent, mainly to cover up how hoarse he is. His mouth has gone strangely dry.

"I would be delighted, good sir," Annabeth says, looping her arm through his waiting one. They wander through the courtyard to the narrow path, the stares and whispers of other students paving the way.

"Percy and Annabeth are such a cute couple, aren't they?"

"...they're disgusting, seriously…"

"I can't believe Annabeth got over Luke so fast. Do you think she even likes Percy?"

"They're both so hot, I think I'm going to pass out…"

A few minutes pass in silence before Annabeth nudges Percy's shoulder. "You know, I had a good time yesterday."

"Even with my whining? Which I am sorry for, by the way."

"Even with that." She stares down at the pavement. "Thanks for, uh, carrying me to my bed, too. I swear I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"It's no big deal. And I had a good time, too."

Light conversation bounces between them as they stroll along. This path loops around the perimeter of the school, and when they're passing the science wing, Annabeth brushes her knuckles against his shoulder.

"Percy?"

"What's up?"

"Do you think you could pick me up after my dance class tonight? Piper's dropping me off, but I don't have money for the bus fare and my car's out of gas..."

"Yeah, no problem. The class ends at 7, right?"

"Yes."

"Perfect." He squeezes her hand, sparks flying down his back. "Anyway, how is teaching your dance class?"

"The kids' routine is coming along really well. Their recital is just a few weeks away, but I think they'll be ready by then." She meets his gaze. "I can get you seats for the performance, if you want. It's on the 17th."

He winces apologetically. "Shit, I'd love to be there, but I have a hockey game that day," he says, then frowns. "Well, I will, if we win the semifinals match."

"You'll win. I know it." Annabeth says, squeezing his fingers.

He grins. "At least you have faith in us. Coach has been working the team to death and he's still convinced we're gonna lose."

"You know, I can't believe that you play hockey now. I mean, in middle school, swimming was your whole life."

"I still can't believe you quit ballet. It was your whole life for a while."

She shrugs. "It was too much on top of everything else. And…well, when my mom and dad got divorced and Mom wasn't in the picture anymore... it didn't mean as much to me as it used to."

"Did you ever really love it?" It's something Percy wondered about for a long time. He's forever haunted by memories of Annabeth sneaking over to his house, curling up next to him in his bed and sobbing over a messed-up turn or a missed step, heartbroken because of Athena's disappointment, with no one else to confide in. How could she truly love something that hurt her so much?

Annabeth considers this for a long time. "I think I did love it," she finally replies. "Somehow, I did. Dance was just so tangled and twisted with so many other things that I ruined it. I was too scared to be anything but perfect to enjoy myself for even a second."

"Is it...better now?"

"Yeah, it is. When I'm teaching, I don't have anything to prove to anyone." She cracks a grin. "Other than the bitchy moms who think I'm too young."

He chuckles, and then Annabeth says, "By the way, I ran into Calypso last night. In the bathroom. We talked and I thought you would want to know."

His heart still flutters a bit at the sound of her name. Calypso. He just wishes it was the only name that sent a jolt through him like that. "Really?"

"Yeah. She's definitely still in love with you. She was so mopey." Annabeth says. "Do….do you know why she broke up with you, in the first place? I always assumed you were just a shitty boyfriend, but…"

"I was not a shitty boyfriend. Actually, she told me the opposite. Apparently I was too perfect. She said a bunch of other cliche stuff too, but yeah. I was…too perfect."

"Look, Percy...are you…are we sure we're doing the right thing?" Annabeth begins carefully. "She seems…Percy, she seems so hurt. How are you going to win her back when you're clearly breaking her heart even more?"

"Annabeth, don't you see? This is great. If she misses me, she'll be so happy I still want her that she'll forget the shit she said about us moving in different directions and me being too perfect." He shakes his head. "Too perfect? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Annabeth admits. "But on my end, Luke is definitely jealous. He's going to want me back and—"

Why is she so hung up on that douchebag, anyway? He's blond and pretty, sure, but he's also a two-timing asshole and Annabeth could do so much better— "Annabeth, didn't he cheat on you?"

"It was an accident, Perce, I know it was. He's in love with me, and he's the perfect boyfriend. I can forgive a single mistake. It won't happen again, now that he knows how it feels to lose me. He'll come back." At his skepticism, she repeats, "He will!"

She could do so much better…

"If you say so."

Annabeth kicks a pebble into the grass. "Anyway, we're going to the prom together, right?"

"We are?"

"Of course. One final nail in the coffin to solidify Calypso and Luke's jealousy." She frowns at his expression, which has gone blank as he's realizing that he's going to have to go to prom with her. Prom. Annabeth in a sparkling dress, Annabeth under the lights, Annabeth in his arms all night long…

Annabeth narrows her eyes. "You haven't forgotten about the prom, have you?"

"...no, but…I'm not going to have to prompose, right?"

"Well, you don't have to…"

"But you want me to."

"It would be nice, yes."

He sighs. "I guess I can throw something together."

"Just don't tell me what it is! I want to be surprised!"

"Sure." They're approaching the courtyard again, the loop around the school nearly complete. He plucks a dandelion from the grass, tucks it behind Annabeth's ear. "Hey, I meant to tell you, I'm watching Estelle tomorrow and you're welcome to come over to help."

"Oh. I'd love to."

Percy steals another look at Annabeth, and something about the way the sunlight hits her face makes him a bit woozy. Have her eyes always been quite that magnificent?

Yes, he reminds himself. Yes. A memory flickers in his mind like a snippet of a film. Being nine years old and watching Annabeth beat up three kids on the playground just because she overheard them mocking the way he pronounced his r's. He was head-over-heels in love with her, enchanted by the storm in her eyes. Years later, he's still transfixed by her shade of gray, but now it's gone softer; instead of a storm, he sees the clouds of a light summer drizzle. She's sparkly and beautiful and-

"Earth to Percy?" Annabeth taps her knuckles against his forehead. "Anyone home? I swear, sometimes it's like your brain is stuffed with seaweed."

He huffs a laugh. "Seaweed?"

"Yeah, cause you're a seaweed brain."

"Real creative. You must think you're so clever, don't you." He tugs at her hand, grinning. "I despise you, wise girl."

"Wise girl? Now who's the creative one?"

They both laugh, and god, he's missed this. The back and forth, casual touches, slowly easing into something so new yet so familiar. It's like moving into a brand new house and coming home all at the same time.

If only it could last.

He wishes it could. Why hadn't he held onto Annabeth when he had her? Why had he let things go to shit in the first place, snapping their friendship to shards and stomping over the broken pieces? Even if it feels like they're slipping back into place, he knows that their relationship is irreparable, that the edges are too broken to fit anymore.

Truth is, he's afraid. Afraid that he's getting too close. Afraid that though it seems like he has Annabeth back, he's still going to lose her again.